Royalty Digest Quarterly no. 1, 2023

The first issue of Royalty Digest Quarterly this year arrived just before the Palm weekend. The RDQ, which was started in 2006 as the successor to the British monthly publication Royalty Digest, is published four times a year. According to its frontpage RDQ is «a journal devoted to the history, genealogy and images of the Royal Families of Europe».

From the contents of the present issue:

• Editor's Corner
• Stephen Bunford: The Schleswig-Holstein Wars and Succession, pp. 1–6.
• Marlene A. Eilers Koenig: The Marriage of Princess Maud and Lord Carnegie, pp. 7–16.
• Elizabeth Jane Timms: Farewell in White. The Funeral of Queen Victoria, pp. 17–28.
• Ted Rosvall: Hessen-Philippsthal & Hessen-Phillipsthal-Barchfeld. Two Family Albums, pp. 29–46.
• Ove Mogensen: Tombs, Graves and Monuments in Bulgaria, pp. 47–52.
• Ted Rosvall: What?, pp. 53–58.
• Ted Rosvall: Book Review: Spare us! (review of Spare by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex), p. 59.
• Coryne Hall: Little-Known ROYALS. Grand Duchess Catherine Michaelovna of Russia, pp. 60–61.
• Ted Rosvall: Royal Bustards, pp. 62–63.
• The World Wide Web of Royalty, p. 64.

In his Editor's Corner Ted Rosvall is not impressed by  the way the Greek authorities handled the death and funeral service of the former King Constantine II of the Hellenes – and rightly so.

There are several interesting and readable articles in the present issue. I am not going to comment on them all. The cover photo shows Schloss Wilhelmsburg near Barchfeld and «it's creators», i.e. Landgrave Wilhelm of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld (1692–1761) and his wife Landgravine Charlotte Wilhelmine, née Princess of Anhalt-Bernburg-Hoym (1704–1766). The House of Hesse-Phillipsthal became extinct in 1925 following the death of Landgrave Ernst, while the House of Hesse-Phillipsthal-Barchfeld is still with us, and the current head is Prince Wilhelm, b. 1933. It is not often we hear about these two Hesse branches, so I am pleased that the editor decided to pay attention to them. Besides a very short introduction the readers can enjoy about 64 images (depending on how you count) of various family members and residences. In addition there are two genealogical tables.

Any relations to the royal family of Norway? Yes, among King Harald's many royal ancestors is Princess Sofie of Hesse-Philippsthal (1695–1728), daughter of the first Landgrave of Hesse-Phillipsthal, Philipp (1655–1721) and his wife Katharine Amalie, née Countess of Solms-Laubach (1654–1736). Sofie married in 1723 Duke Peter August of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (1696–1775). The connection then goes as follows:

Duke Karl Anton August (1727–1759) --> Duke Friedrich Karl Ludwig (1757–1816) --> Duke Friedrich Wilhelm (1785–1831), who in 1825 became Duke of Glücksburg --> Prince Christian of Glücksburg (1818–1906), who in 1863 became King of Denmark --> King Frederik VIII (1843–1912) --> Prince Carl (1872–1957), who in 1905 was elected King of Norway as Haakon VII --> King Olav V (1903–1991) --> King Harald V (1937–).

There are other connections, for instance from Princess Sofie's elder brother Karl I (1682–1770), whose daughter Charlotte Amalie (1730–1801) married Duke Anton Ulrich of Saxe-Meiningen (1687–1763). Their daughter Princess Charlotte (1751–1827) married in 1769 Hereditary Prince Ernest of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1745–1804), later Duke Ernest II. From this couple the line goes: Duke Augustus of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1772–1822) --> Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg (1800–1831), wife of Duke Ernest I of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha --> Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), later Prince of the United Kingdom --> King Edward VII of the United Kingdom (1841–1910) --> Princess Maud (1869–1938), from 1896 Princess of Denmark and from 1905 Queen of Norway --> King Olav V (1903–1991) --> King Harald V (1937–).

I visited Bulgaria for the first and so far only time in July 1991. I wish I had paid more attention to the royal graves in Sofia. At least I should have visited Prince Alexander's mausoleum. But it was a very short stay – I arrived by night train from Bucharest early on 17 July 1991 and left on the evening of 18 July by night train to Belgrade. I would love to see more of Sofia another time, and to visit other parts of Bulgaria as well. Anyway, Ove Mogensen gives as usual a good acount of the graves of the last two Bulgarian royal houses. 

So what lies behind the curious subject title What? Ted Rosvall discusses the birth of Johann Georg Heinrich Kleinecke in Silkerode in 1799 and his possible royal parents. Far from proven, but plausible.

In the series of Little-Known ROYALS (why capital letters, I wonder) Coryne Hall this time presents Grand Duchess (Grand Princess) Catherine (Ekaterina) Michaelovna of Russia (1827–1894), daughter of Grand Duke (Grand Prince) Michael Pavlovich of Russia (1798–1849) and Grand Princess Elena Pavlovna, née Princess Charlotte of Württemberg 1807–1873). Catherine married in 1851 Grand Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1824–1876).

In the new (?) series Royal Bustards the editor Ted Rosvall presents Johan Arthur Bäckström (1861–1941), a possible illegitimate son of King Oscar II (1829–1907). Finally, in The World Wide Web of Royalty the readers get genealogical news from the Imperial, Royal, Grand Ducal or Princely houses of Baden, France (Bonaparte), Greece, Lippe and Luxembourg. 

Information about Royalty Digest Quarterly can be found at its editor's website Royalbooks.se. See earlier presentations of RDQ here. See also its Facebook page.